Volunteers spruce up the city on Comcast Cares Day

Volunteers paint the restrooms at Veterans Memorial park as part of Comcast Cares Day. (Jenny Dinkelman)

By Ruth
Hendricks | Ruth.H@mycityjournals.com

An army of volunteers showed up on April 21 to make a
lasting difference in the community during Comcast Cares Day.

Comcast estimates that 10,000 volunteers joined together to make change
happen across the Wasatch Front.

Comcast
Cares Day has grown to become one of the state’s largest single-day corporate
volunteer efforts where Comcast employees, community partners, nonprofit
organizations, families and friends all join to clean, rejuvenate and beautify public
areas around Utah.

In West Jordan, volunteers enjoyed doughnuts and juice and
received a T-shirt while checking in at the Ron Wood Baseball Complex from 7 to
8 a.m. Then they divided into project groups and spread throughout West Jordan
from 8 a.m. until noon, ready to plant trees, spread bark mulch, pull weeds,
clean flower beds and spruce up the city in many ways.

From noon to 1 p.m., the volunteers enjoyed lunch and a thank-you
celebration back at the Ron Wood Baseball Complex.

One group of volunteers represented the West Jordan PONY
Baseball league.

The league plays at the Veterans’ Memorial park. It had lost
a previous source of revenue when a building it used as a snack shack for
concession sales had to be torn down three years ago. It has not yet been
rebuilt.

The group reached an agreement with the city council to have
at least 100 volunteers show up and make improvements at the Veterans Memorial
park.

Jenny Dinkelman, a leader with PONY baseball, said, “We had
between 115 and 130 volunteers show up, since some came by later. The youngest volunteer
was 2 years old.”

The volunteers worked to paint the bathrooms and pavilions
at the park. They also trimmed the rose bushes and pulled weeds near 2200 West
and 7800 South.

So, whether the group received a break from the city on
fees, or whether they gave of their time with no return, the event showed that
many West Jordan residents care enough about their community to give their time
and muscle power in service to their neighborhood.